Wednesday 10 June 2026,
14.30, Wilson Room, Palace of Westminster
On Wednesday the
Environmental Audit Committee will investigate the environmental
impact of data centres in the first session of a new inquiry.
MPs are currently exploring how growing AI use might accelerate
the need for data centres and what impact this is likely to have
on the UK's environmental goals and energy infrastructure.
As uptake of artificial intelligence has increased, so has demand
for data centres to power this new technology. While estimates
differ, data centres are expected to require a large amount of
energy, leading some to raise concerns about the impact of data
centres on the national grid and water resources.
In the session, MPs are likely to ask about the principal
environmental impacts of data centres, and whether sustainability
is considered when data centres are planned and developed.
They are also likely to ask about the government's AI Growth
Zones scheme, whether data centre capacity can expand
sustainably, and what involvement communities should have in
decisions about data centres.
Witnesses
Panel one, from 14.30:
- Christina Christopoulou, Senior Manager, Infrastructure,
Energy and Environmental Policy, Amazon Web Services
- Steen Stewart, Senior Advisory Consultant, Crown Hosting
Framework Authority
- Michael Birtwistle, Associate Director of Law & policy,
Ada Lovelace Institute
Panel two, from 15.30:
- Matt Evans, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Markets,
techUK
- Dame Dawn Childs, CEO, nLighten
- Oliver Hayes, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Global Action
Plan
